Crane



1960 R. F. DEHN 2,947,265

CRANE A Filed Feb. 27. 1959 HUI wil

INVENTOR.

147' 7' DRIVE XS X I for 001 5 Y r I I I United Stat s Pa CRANE I poi'ation of one Filed Feb. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 795,983 3 Claims. to. 105-2241 The present invention relates to' heavy duty .cranes of the type which travel along steel rails, such as, overhead traveling cranes used in steel mills and other industrial plants.

Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of my copendi'ng application, Serial No. 754,009, filed August 8, 1958, now abandoned.

The rail wheel bearings of heavy dutycranes that travel along railsv are subject to very heavy loads since they must carry not only the crane but its load. The rail joints of the trackupon which the crane travels are also often uneven, which subjects the rail wheel bearings to extreme shocks adding to the wear of the bearings and their ultimate destruction.

Inthe event the crane is electrified, that is, equipped withelectric travel and/or hoist motors, etc, the rail wheel bearings usually carry some, if not all, of the current required to operate the motors. This is true in most-instances even though a parallel circuit is provided. a s o The principal object of the present invention is the provision of .a new and novel crane of-the character referred to, comprising resilient members, preferably formed of electric insulating material, interposed; betweenthe rail wheel bearings and the wheel housings iii-such a manner that they can expand in an axial direction while being compressed vertically.

Iheinvention resides incertain novel constructions and arrangements of parts, and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following descriptionof the preferred embodiment and a modificationuthereof, described with reference to the accompany ingdrawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of one end of .a crane bridge truck embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is'a fragmentary sectional view with portions in elevation approximately on a line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modified construction.

Although the illustrative embodiments of the invention are hereinafter described in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the construction and arrangement of the parts shown and described, t ut is capable of being otherwise embodied and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention to limit the claims beyond the requirements of the prior art.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character A designates generally a bridge truck of a heavy duty overhead traveling crane of the type used in steel mills and other industrial plants. Cranes of the general type re ferred to are well known in the industry and are generally similar to the cranes shown in my prior patents, Nos. 2,629,505 and 2,646,892, issued February 24, 1953,

2,947,265 Patented Aug. 2., 1960 2 I r and 'July 28, 1953, respectively. The particular construction of the crane, other than as hereinafter mentoned, per se forms no part of the present invention and is not shown and described in detail.

The crane is supported for movement along an overhead runway comprising spaced rails 10, only one of which is shown. Opposite ends of the crane bridge are carried by the trucks A movably supported on the runway rails 10- by the crane runway or truck wheels 12, two or more of which are employed at each end of the bridge.

The truck frame member A. shown ismade up of welded steel plates, and each of the wheels 12 is supported therein by an individual shaft member 14 .to which 17 ,of each bearing is secured to a cylindrical shaped memher or housing 18 having an inwardly projecting flange 20 adjacent the end remote from wardly projecting flange 21 adjacent the other end. The

t housings 18 are generally cylindrical and are supported housings 18 adjacent to the wheels in the frame A by rubber member 22 made of shock absorbent electrical insulating material surrounding the housings and interposed therebetween and the frame A. In the embodiment shown the members 18 are located in semi-cylindrical recesses formed in members or parts: 23' of the frame proper and are retained in position there-- in by .cap members 24. The cap-like members 24 are: detachably connected to their respective members 23 by; bolts 26-.

The inner races 16 of the bearings B are fixedly se-- cured to their respective endsin the shafts 14 projecting: outwardly from opposite sides of the wheels 12 by being: forced over reduced sections of the shaft and the outer" races 17 of the bearings are fixedly secured within their respective housings 18 in a suitable manner. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, rings 30 threaded? into ends of the housings 18 adjacent to the wheels 12 assist in retaining the parts assembled and'are provided. with suitable seals for protecting the bearings. Packing:

rrings interposed between the inner circumference of the the shafts 14 surroundedi 'wheels 12 in the frame vA.

Theresilient members 22 surrounding the housings 18 are interposed between the flanges 21 on the ends of the 12 and ring-like cover plates or retainers 31, detachably secured by cap screws 32 to the members 23 of the frame A. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the flanges 21 are spaced radially inwardly from the inside walls of the members 23 and the members 31 are spaced radially outwardly from the exterior of the housings 18, the construction being such that the housings 18 are supported in the members 23 and in turn the frame 'A solely by the resilient; members 22 and that the resilient members 22 may expand in both axial directions while :being compressed bythe weight of the crane.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the parts corresponding to the flange 21 and the ring 30 are designated by the reference characters 2 1' and 30 respectively, and are formed integral and separate from the member 17 corresponding to the member 18 of Figs. 1 and 2. These parts form a separate member which is detachably connected to the part 18 by bolts 35. The flange 21 is of the wheel and an outg eatersdiametenthan .thenflange 21 and projects radially outwardly alongside of, but preferably spaced a short.

distance from, the axial inner end of the member 23. The construction is such that the flange 21 will engage the ,par-t 23-i QXW QIIF eat er -s 1 shafts 14, which carry ,the wheels. 12,: ar.e. supported. in

the, frame. .A in a similar manner from which-it follows.

that the flange at the, opposite side of the wheel 12 correspppdingto the flange Z1 shown, will limit the relative moyementbetween the wheel and. from. thedirection. op positetothat of the flange 21 shown...v

,the. frame ,A after predetermined limited e,wh eel.relative to theframe A'.and prof... entmaterial. from excessive side thrust. previously stated, the two opposite. ends. Ofvthe. stud.

As an alternative construction, instead of having..the.-.l5

flangesll -project radially; outwardly :beyond the members. 23 the members 32 could be. so formed that..theywould; project radially inwardly-of the adjacent ends of the members 18; or 13; so as to limit movement-of. the. wheels ,12; relative tothe frame A in the direction opposite to-that in-which said movement is limited by the flange From the foregoing description of the preferredteme bodiments of the invention, it willbe apparent that the end trucksof the crane, and in turn the crane bridgc, etc.,

willbe carried by the wheels solely through the medium of resilient members, which members are preferably made i of electrical insulating material, and that the wheelbear ings are not subjected to the usual shocks .and wear enc ntered in prior art cranes.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in considerable detail,- the invention is not limited to the particular construe tions showng forexample, resilient .members may be interpgsed between the inner races ofthe. wheel bearings aud t he axial member, or resilient members may beem ploxed between both races and the members .to whichthey are nonrotatably connected. It is theintentiornto hereby cover all adaptations, modifications and uses of I the invention disclosed which come withincthe pnactice offth e skilled in the art to which it relates and the scopeof the appended claims.

Haying described my invention, 1 .claim:

1. In.a heavy duty crane, an end truck 2 frame member an axle member having a rail wheel fixed thereto int rmediate its ends, bearing supporting members at opposit sides of said wheel, annular anti-frictionbearings at ppposite sides of said wheel .and interposed between saidaxleand said annular bearing supporting members, electrical non-conductor resilient material interposed between each of said bearing supporting members and said truck frame member, and flanges at opposite ends of said resilient material, one of said flanges at either side of said wheel being on one of said members and projecting over only a pant of the end of said resilient material wheel fixed thereto intermediate. its ends,,an;1ular bear-(r ingsupportingmembers in said cylindrical apertures,.-at opposite sides of said wheel, annular antirfriction bearings in said cylindrical apertures at opposite sides of said wheel and interposed between-the end portions of said axle and said annularbearing supportingmembers, electrical noinconductor annular resilient sleeves in said cylindrical apertures at opposite sides of said wheel and interposed between each of said annular bearing supportingmembers andpsaid framemembers, radiallyprojectingafiangesmt opposite ends of each of said resilient, sleeves, oneof. said flanges at eitherside of -said;,wheel being on one of said members and the other being :on-

theother of said members, and one of said flanges 'on eachlsidenfrsaid wheel. projecting radiallyover. only a part of the end of the resilient sleeve adjacent thereto.

3.1;In .a .heavy .duty crane, an end truckframe providedawithtwo spaced aligned semi-circular apertures, apair of caps. provided. with semi-circular apertures means forsdetachably securing said caps to said. truck frame.;to. form-frame members having two aligned cy lindrical apertures, anaxle having oppositeends projecting through said aligned cylindrical apertures-anda railnwheel fixed thereto intermediate its ends, annular bearing;.supporting .members in said cylindrieal aper tures.at.iopposite sides of said wheel, annular anti-friction hearings in. said cylindrical apertures at opposite sid'es.pf..said.wheel andinterposed between said end portions of said axle and said annular bearing supporting members,.. electrical non-conductor annular --resi l1ent sleevesdn said cylindrical apertures at opposite sidesof saidwheel and interposed. between each of said annular bearingtsupporting. members and said frame members,- radiallynprojecting flanges. at opposite ends: of eachofsaidresilientsleeves carriedby said members and forming a pair of flanges. at the sides of said frame-members adjacent to said wheels .and a pair of flanges at the sides of said ;frame members remote from saidwheels, onepair jof,s'aid flanges projecting radially over only a part of-the.ends of said resilient sleeves adjacent thereto and 1 the-other ofsaidpair ofsaid flanges projecting radiallybeyond.the end. ofsaid resilient sleeves adjacent thereto.

- References Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS GZQJf Z. e e De 9, 1952 amok... 

